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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · ground · mate · date · board · row · foot · straw

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. foot — a measure
  3. ground — a position
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. ground — the earth
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. board — a committee
  15. mate — a friend
  16. date — the fruit
  17. board — to get on
  18. ground — crushed
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mate — to breed
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. row — a line
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. trunk — of an elephant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com